Conventionally, when a conference call is scheduled, a scheduled conference date may be set, and other information may be recorded in the form of an electronic calendar or other application used to manage the conference call. Also, the majority of conference call bridge services include software interfaces which provide email or SMS access to a user's mobile phone. Those services may be relatively convenient and organized, however, the number of work-at-home individuals and on-the-go personnel continues to rise each year and requires increased flexibility when accessing conference calls. Finding an email, an application, a conference dial-in number, a conference code and sometimes even a pin number for the administrator or group leader requires time, effort and additional organization prior to accessing the conference call.
In a conventional prior art configuration 100 of FIG. 1, the user device 210 may attempt to access a conference bridge device 220 via a communication network to receive access to a conference. The conference data 240 may be known and established prior to the conference and may also be referenced when attempting to cross-reference credentials of the user device, to identify a user device, account information, etc. However, the access attempts are generally based on the information received by the conference bridge 220 and not on known information. For example, the process normally includes multiple data input operations including, but not limited to dialing a conference number 212, being prompted at the user device to enter a specific conference code 214, providing the conference code 216 to the server, prompting the user device for a conference leader pin 218 and providing the conference leader pin to the bridge 220, if necessary. Then, once all required information is received via input on the user device 210, the conference call may be connected to link user device to the other participants 250.
The multiple data input operations and information make the conference call a burden for any participant desiring to have quick and easy access. However, conferences often include divulgence of sensitive information and undesired guests must be kept from accessing the conference.